So It Goes
by mysticmanaged
Summary: Beast Boy and Raven's developing relationship. Each chapter based on different prompts and phrases.
1. Chapter 1

So It Goes.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own the Teen Titans

 **A/N: These are mostly meant for me to flesh out my own personal BBRae head cannons. Feel free to review to let me know if you spot any errors, have any writing advice, or if you for some reason enjoy my writing. :)**

 **Edit: Though each of these stories will be based on a different prompt/word/phrase, they all exist within the same plot line.**

The following occurs a few weeks after Trigon's defeat. I'm putting both Raven and Beast Boy at around 16 years old at this point.

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Chapter 1: Cat out of the Bag

Raven let out an exasperated sigh. Her clock read 2am. Only ten minutes had passed since she last looked, but it felt like an eternity had passed in the suffocating heat of her bedroom. After resigning herself to the fact that she would not be falling back asleep anytime soon, Raven grabbed her cloak, slung it over her white cotton tee and pajama shorts, and headed for the roof. Perhaps some nighttime meditation in the fresh cool air would do her good.

Raven had been meditating for roughly twenty minutes when it began to pour without warning. With a frustrated growl, she lowered herself from the lotus position and prepared herself to phase back inside when she felt it: a feeling of distress and annoyance, not unlike her own. The feeling lightly caressed her emphatic senses and she was able to pinpoint its location to the base of the tower. Curious, and acknowledging that she couldn't possibly get any wetter; Raven put up her emotional shields and peered over the tower's edge.

Barely visible by the tower's entrance sat a black cat, looking equally as miserable and drenched as the empath. Raven, understanding the cat's feelings and unable to leave it wet and alone, phased to the base of the tower, scooped the cat up in her cloak and teleported to her bedroom.

Once back in her room, the cat began to thrash about in Raven's arms until it escaped onto her bed. Raven wondered just what she was thinking when she tried to shelter the little thing from the storm. The two stared at each other in tense silence. Raven had never seen a cat quite like the one starring daggers at her from her bed. It was entirely black, other than its piercing orange eyes, and its nose and round cheeks seemed squished against its broad oval head. Its mouth was set in a constant frown and its small rounded ears were pressed backwards in a pitiful display of aggression.

Enveloping a creature in dark magic and teleporting it to a place it's never seen before was probably one of her poorer ideas.

Raven attempted to soothe the cat with her words as she subtly crept closer, only for the cat to bolt. The soaked black mass of fur leapt gracefully through the air and clung to the curtains at Raven's window. Raven froze. Maybe if she showed the cat she wasn't trying to hurt it, it would calm down and they could both dry off and wait out the storm.

She began backing away slowly when she heard the telltale sound of ripping fabric. Both she and the cat looked terrified as the shorthaired beast slowly descended to the floor, claws making angry marks in the curtain on its way down. Determined to capture the little rascal before it caused any more damage to her sanctuary, Raven used her powers to summon her cloak from the floor, wrap it around the troublesome feline, and bring it securely into her arms where it hissed and struggled in vain.

Raven grudgingly realized there was only one more thing to do. She had to ask Beast Boy for help.

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Beast Boy shot upwards when he heard a soft knock on his door. He cringed and prepared to hit his head against his top bunk when he remembered he upgraded to a full bed weeks ago and let out a sigh of relief. He listened again and heard shuffling coming from the other side of his door. Figuring it was Robin coming to lecture him about god knows what, Beast Boy sighed and flung himself from his bed, quickly putting a spare pair of sweatpants over his bare body and not bothering with a shirt. He was not prepared for the sight that awaited him.

Raven stood outside his door, completely soaked and holding her cloak in a bundle at her chest. Her hair was plastered to her neck, her white tee shirt was completely see-through (thank the heavens she had a dark camisole underneath or Beastboy may have fainted right then and there), and she looked furious. He panicked.

"Whatever is going on, Rae, I swear I didn't do it," he said quickly, his voice raspy with sleep. Raven blamed the heat that rushed to her face on embarrassment and the chill that rain down her spine on the fact she was wet and freezing.

After composing herself, Raven raised her arms to reveal the cause of her distress and spoke in her classic monotone, "I was meditating outside. I found this cat. I wanted to help it but now we're both soaked and miserable. I think it's afraid of me. I don't know what to do. Also, it's Raven, not Rae."

Beast Boy couldn't help it. The sight before him was equally the cutest and most hilarious thing he had ever seen. He started laughing.

Raven, eyes wide, pushed them into his room and shut the door.

"Are you insane? Be quiet or you'll wake up Robin," she hissed.

There was no telling what Robin would do if he found a cat other than Beast Boy in the tower. If Robin hated anything more than Slade, it was cats.

Beast Boy shut his mouth immediately and reached for the bundle in Raven's arms.

"I'm warning you, it's really aggressive." Raven carefully handed Beast Boy the cat. The instant it was in his arms, the little feline began to purr and Beast Boy directed his haughtiest smirk at Raven.

"You've got to be kidding me," Raven deadpanned.

Beast Boy ruffled Raven's wet hair with his free hand, "This little guy's just like you, Rae, all tough on the outside but gooey on the inside!"

Raven rolled her eyes, "Can you just watch him for a few minutes while I go dry off?"

Beast Boy chuckled and gave her a genuine smile, "Sure thing, Rae."

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Ten minutes later, Raven returned to Beast Boy's room. Her hair was messily piled into a bun and she had changed into a dry set of pajamas. Beast Boy, who now also wore a sweatshirt, motioned her in happily.

"Come on in, little Gar's been waiting for you."

"You named him after yourself?" Raven looked up at him skeptically.

He looked at her as seriously as he could, "Well, what else would you name such a good looking guy?"

She rolled her eyes.

Beast Boy plopped down on his bed and little Gar, who was now as dry as could be, came bounding into his lap. Raven approached slowly, only to be greeted by little Gar with a hiss.

Raven sighed dejectedly, "I told you he was afraid of me. Even cats think I'm creepy."

"That's not true, Rae! He's just shy."

"He likes you though," Raven grumbled childishly.

"Hey, it's in my genes!" he said as he patted the spot across from him on the bed.

Raven, after navigating through the piles of clothes and comic books on the floor, sat carefully, looking at Beast Boy for direction. He scooped the little cat off his lap and motioned for Raven to hold out her arms. She shivered, still cold from her excursion outside, and began to reach her arms out. The cat swiped at her arms with its claws and Raven gave Beast Boy a skeptical look.

"Okay, new plan!" Beast Boy rushed out as he placed the cat back in his lap.

He shrugged out of his sweatshirt and tossed it to Raven. "Put that on."

"What? Why?"

Beast Boy feigned exasperation, "Just trust me, okay?"

"Fine," Raven grumbled as she put Beast Boy's sweatshirt on over her shirt. A small sigh escaped her lips as she instantly felt warmer, Beast Boy's residual body heat embracing her like an oversized heated blanket.

Beast Boy, before he could dwell on how attractive and small Raven looked in his hoodie, thrust the cat into her arms. The little black ball of fur purred and snuggled against Raven's chest, much to her surprise.

"You were cold," Beast Boy stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, so?"

Beast Boy grinned triumphantly, "That's why he didn't want you to hold him; you were too cold!"

As the realization hit Raven, she sighed in relief and smiled gratefully up at Beast Boy.

Beast Boy's swore his heart stopped. She was too beautiful for her own good. "O-okay now you two go get some rest! Big day tomorrow! Thanks for stopping by!" he practically shouted as he rushed the girl and her new companion out of his room before he did anything stupid.

After shutting the door behind them, Beast Boy waited until he heard a soft "Goodnight, Gar" and the quiet padding of feet before he released the breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

Beast Boy's face flushed, whether she had been talking to him or the cat didn't matter. "Night, Rae," he whispered.

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Raven dozed off peacefully on her side while little Gar, who she renamed Edgar to avoid confusion, slept warmly nestled in the hood of Beast Boy's sweatshirt.

Beast Boy, however, was still awake and evaluating recent events.

It had been several weeks since Trigon's defeat, and Jump City was experiencing a lull in criminal activity, allowing a certain young empath to explore the lengths of her newfound emotional freedom. Though her powers were still influenced by her emotions, after severing the link to her father, Raven was able to exhibit more control over her powers and thus began to experiment with her emotional limits.

It started with simple things like returning Starfire's hugs and sitting close with her teammates during the movie nights she began to frequent more often. She trained more often with Robin, she participated in more of "the girl talk" with Starfire, she helped Cyborg more often with the T-car, and she spent time watching nature documentaries with Beast Boy and listening attentively to his insight.

Raven still enjoyed her alone time, meditation, and books, but she was less inclined to throw anyone that dared disturb her, namely Beast Boy, into the bay. Her sarcasm and wit remained sharp as ever but her jabs and quick remarks were more light hearted rather than scathing.

As for Beast Boy, though his mental maturity remained for the most part unchanged, he finally hit the growth spurt he had been hoping for since he joined the team. He was now proudly the second tallest on the team, dwarfed only by his robotic best friend. However, he now had to shave twice a day and although his voice had significantly deepened, it hadn't stopped it from cracking during his attempts at flirting, much to his chagrin.

Beast Boy sighed. He had a bit of a crush on Raven ever since the day he first saw her. Knowing she'd never feel the same, he tried to let it slip to the back of his mind where he'd eventually forget all about it. The fact that Raven was now trying to open up more and spend more time with the team was certainly not helping Beast Boy achieve this.

If the way he felt when Raven, clad in his favorite sweatshirt, smiled warmly up at him was any indication, his feelings for Raven wouldn't be leaving anytime soon...

"Shit."

.

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

So It Goes.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own the Teen Titans

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Chapter 2: Cat out of the Bag pt. 2

Raven was having a bad day. For starters, Robin, being the detective that he is, deduced within a few hours that Raven was harboring a feline fugitive in her bedroom. Needless to say, after a stern lecturing about the evils of cats, Raven and Robin spent the subsequent hour tracking down the cat's rightful owners. Although she was happy he was reunited with his family, Raven was a little upset that she didn't get to spend more time with her new four-legged friend.

Within five minutes of the duo's return to the tower the alarm sounded, signaling that Plasmus had escaped custody and was wreaking senseless havoc downtown, officially bringing the lull in criminal activity to an end. Though they didn't voice their thoughts, all five Titans were somewhat relieved to get back into action, Robin most of all. However, taking down Plasmus proved more difficult than they had anticipated.

By the time the Titans arrived, Plasmus had tapped into the city's sewage system and was greedily consuming the repulsive content. Skipping the usual taunts and comments, Robin signaled the Titans to action immediately. The team, minus Raven, charged forward. The plan was to distract the oozing monster long enough to allow Raven to call upon her soul-self and render Plasmus unconscious.

Unfortunately, Plasmus seemed to remember his previous defeat by Raven's soul-self, and ignored the attacks of the other Titans and zeroed in on the empath. Raven, not foreseeing the usually dimwitted villain's recognition and focus on her, was struck with a barrage of slime before finishing her incantation.

Annoyed, Raven attempted to stand up and finish off the disgusting mass of sludge when she realized that the slime, which always slid off during their previous encounters, was effectively keeping her pinned to the ground. The slime that had struck her face was also preventing her from speaking, making it impossible for her to project her soul into Plasmus's mind and knock him out.

"Raven!"

Beast Boy, who became distracted when Raven had not gotten back up, was pinned next. The remaining Titans fanned out, bombarding Plasmus from all sides in an attempt to tire him out. However, the gelatinous villain was as resistant as ever to their attacks, letting the various blasts and baterangs pass through his form.

Soon the remaining Titans were pinned to the ground as well and Plasmus began advancing toward a more heavily populated area of the city. Sensing no other option, Raven searched the depths of her soul and summoned all her will power. With a muffled scream, Raven managed to release her soul-self and assault Plasmus before he fled too far.

Within a few seconds, Plasmus's massive body had receded into a sleeping human form and the slime binding the Titans lost its adhesiveness, sliding away and freeing the Titans from their gooey prisons. Raven, however, lay unconscious on the ground.

Cyborg rushed to check Raven's vitals, and after finishing a quick analysis, assured the Titans that she was fine but would be knocked out for a few hours. Relieved by the information, Robin ordered Beast Boy and Cyborg to take Raven back to the tower while he and Star waited for the authorities to pick up Plasmus and fill out the accompanying paperwork.

Cyborg knelt to scoop Raven into his arms when he was nudged aside by Beast Boy, "Dude, I got her."

Cyborg looked at his friend quizzically, "You sure there, String Bean?"

Beast Boy mocked offense, "Hey! Who you calling 'String Bean'? I've beefed up so much that I'm practically cattle!" To drive his point home, Beast Boy began striking a series of his best 'macho muscle' poses.

Beast Boy had filled out more since his growth spurt and now sported a broader chest and shoulders, as well as more wiry muscle throughout his body, but he was nowhere near the size of Cyborg or Robin.

Cyborg rolled his eyes, "Fine, just grab Rae and meet me at the T-car."

Beast Boy pulled Raven easily into his arms, "Aye-Aye, Captain!"

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Back at the tower, Raven awoke in the medbay with a splitting headache. She made to sit up but was lightly guided back down by a green arm. She groaned and turned her head to see a sleepy looking Beast Boy, still covered in remnants of slime.

"How long was I out?"

Beast Boy shrugged, "About five hours."

Raven looked surprised, "Have you been in here this whole time?"

Beast Boy rubbed his neck and looked away, "Uh well, yeah. I wanted to bring you something when you woke up. Wait here!"

Beast Boy scurried out of the room, leaving a curious Raven behind. He returned a few minutes later carrying a steaming teacup. Raven gave him a questioning look.

He smiled proudly, and gingerly handed Raven the tea. "It's ginger tea with honey and lemon. It's supposed to help soothe headaches, at least, according to the Internet."

Raven's lips tugged slightly upwards, "Thank you."

"No problem! I had to do something besides stare at you for a few hours, so I did some research." Realizing what he said, Beast Boy blushed and rushed to correct himself, "Not that I was staring in the first place! That'd be weird!"

Despite being an empath, Raven didn't seem to notice his distress as her emotional shields were becoming easier to keep up without much focus. She just sat quietly with her eyes shut, gently sipping the steaming liquid.

"This is actually very good."

Beast Boy's ears perked at the compliment. "I'm glad. I was worried you wouldn't like it! Anyway, I should probably go, see you later, Rae."

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Later that night, Raven sat on the edge of her bed wearing Beast Boy's sweatshirt. She probably should've given it back by now but something was compelling her to hold on to it for just a little bit longer, at least until it no longer smelled of him.

Something about being enveloped in Beast Boy's scent was comforting to Raven. Why wouldn't it be? Beast Boy is her friend. He's kind and patient with her, no matter how hard she pushes him away; he's thoughtful yet careless, brilliant yet childish, and she might maybe possibly think he's handsome. But it's not like she has a crush on him or anything. Nope.

Beast Boy is her total opposite, anyway. He could never think of her romantically. And she's got that whole "dangerous emotions" thing going on. It'd never work. It's not like she enjoys spending time with him or secretly likes how he tries to make her smile. It's not like she does, in fact, "dig the ears." None of the above.

Raven rolled onto her side and in doing so, caught a glimpse of something shining on her nightstand. She blushed and her chest felt strange.

It was a penny that someone gave her a few weeks prior…

"Shit."

.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Teen Titans

 _Slight Language Warning_

 **A/N: Feel free to pm me or review with prompt ideas, I can't promise that I'll write them but I'd love to hear everyone's ideas and head cannons!**

 *** The book mentioned and quoted is Go the Fuck to Sleep by Adam Mansbach which I do not own the rights to. **

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Chapter 3: Go the F*ck to Sleep

Beast Boy couldn't sleep and it was driving him insane. Normally, Beast Boy had no trouble falling asleep. He liked to think that sleeping was his tertiary super power (his secondary super power, of course, being his charm). Any time, any place, any surface; sit him down for long enough and he could slip into slumber at will. Unfortunately, Beast Boy's self-proclaimed third super power had been failing him as of late.

Maybe it was his recent growth spurt. Maybe it was the leftover adrenaline from the recent jump in criminal activity. Maybe it was because he kind of missed his bunk beds. Regardless of the reason, the fact remained that for the past three nights, Beast Boy was restless. He often couldn't nod off until four in the morning.

Each night was the same. Lay in bed for an hour. Get up. Get a drink. Go to the bathroom. Play some video games. Make some of Raven's chamomile tea. Spit out some of Raven's chamomile tea. Get reminded of Raven. Avoid thinking about Raven. Fail at avoiding thinking about Raven. Think of Raven. Distract self with nature documentary. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Currently, Beast Boy sat in the common room, sprawled across the couch and watching a documentary about Colony Collapse Disorder in honeybees.

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Beast Boy couldn't sleep and it was driving Raven insane. Normally, Beast Boy had no trouble falling asleep. Raven was grateful for that ability of his, as she often couldn't sleep when other teammates were mulling about in the tower. That was one of the primary reasons that she and Beast Boy shared a wing. Raven's ability to uphold her emotional shields weakened when she tried to sleep, and Beast Boy's emotions dulled as soon as his head hit the pillow.

It was on the fourth night without sleep that Raven decided she had enough. Maybe something was wrong with him. Maybe he was doing it on purpose. Maybe he was planning some elaborate prank and it was only a matter of time before the common room was booby-trapped with tofu tripwires. Regardless of the reason, Raven was going to put a stop to their mutual insomnia.

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Raven entered the common room just as the credits began to roll on Beast Boy's latest documentary. His ears twitched, letting her know he was aware of her presence. She sighed. She was equal parts annoyed and concerned about his inability to sleep. He turned to face her.

"Why are you awake?" She internally face-palmed at her irritated tone. She meant to sound concerned but her voice had a habit of sounding perpetually angry.

Beast Boy was about to respond when she cut him off, "What I meant was are you alright?" That was a little better.

Beast Boy smiled, "Yeah, don't worry, insomnia isn't anything to lose sleep over!"

Raven rolled her eyes but it didn't distract Beast Boy from the small smile that graced her lips. He smiled back proudly.

"So why are _you_ awake?"

"Your insomnia is contagious."

Beast Boy's face fell, "Sorry, Rae."

"Don't worry about it."

Raven approached the couch and Beast Boy scooted over to make room for her, patting the space next to him enthusiastically. Raven sat, turning her body towards her friend. Beast Boy's voice froze in his throat when Raven closed her eyes and grasped his face between her small hands. It took all his power not to lean into her touch.

Stunned into silence, Beast Boy examined her. Her hair had grown longer recently, now falling to her collarbone. Her face was currently an emotionless mask, but her eyes fluttered underneath her lids and her lips were slightly parted. He noticed that her eyelashes weren't black like he had assumed, but a deep violet hue a few shades darker than her eyes.

Before he could examine her further, she opened her eyes and leaned back, her head cocking to the side and her hands dropping to her lap.

"Well, it's not being caused by anything physical," Raven deduced as she rose from the couch. She made her way to the kitchen, taking out her teakettle.

"Maybe some tea will help."

Beast Boy's stomach lurched, "No thanks!" he all but shouted.

Raven sighed. This wasn't going to be an easy task.

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For the next hour, Raven tried just about everything. She tried guiding Beast Boy in meditation, she tried walking him through some calming stretches, she made him a mug of warm soymilk and honey, she wrapped him in her coziest blanket, she tried to put him in a sleeper hold. Nothing worked and the sight of Beast Boy bundled on the couch, sipping from her favorite mug, and watching her efforts with mirth and appreciation in his eyes only made her more alert and slightly sweaty.

It was then that she remembered a book she purchased accidently during a bin sale at the bookstore a few weeks prior. Figuring she didn't have anything to lose, she strolled determinedly to her room, leaving an equally confused and amused Beast Boy in her wake.

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A few moments later, Raven returned with a book in hand and ordered Beast Boy to lie down. Once she was convinced that Beast Boy was comfortable, she sat on the ground with her back against the couch, close enough to Beast Boy that he could hear her whisper but not close enough to feel his breath on her skin.

Beast Boy closed his eyes, and Raven began to whisper in her signature monotone.

*"The cats nestle close to their kittens, the lambs have laid down with the sheep. You are cozy and warm in your bed, my dear. Please go the fuck to sleep."

Beast Boy guffawed, earning a small laugh from Raven who turned to scold him.

"Be quiet, I'm trying to read you a bedtime story here," she hissed mock angrily.

Beast Boy made the motion of zipping his lips and closed his eyes again as Raven continued.

The book was the perfect remedy for Beast Boy. It involved animals, it was funny, and Raven of all people was reading it to him. Halfway through the pages, Beast Boys silent laughter tapered off and he fell into one of the most peaceful slumbers he had ever experienced. Raven followed not long after, the book falling into her lap and her head falling back against Beast Boy's chest.

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Beast Boy woke well rested the next morning. He was alone in the common room, and he couldn't help but wonder if the feeling of Raven's head nestled against his chest was just a dream.

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End file.
